1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to supply chain management. Specifically, the invention relates to building loads for transports to fulfill the demand of target locations.
2. Background
A supply chain is a network of retailers, distributors, transporters, warehouses, and suppliers that take part in the production, delivery and sale of a product or service. Supply chain management is the process of coordinating the movement of the product or service, information related to the product or service, and money among the constituent parts of a supply chain. Supply chain management also integrates and manages key processes along the supply chain. Supply chain management strategies often involve the use of software in order to project and fulfill demand and improve production levels.
Logistics is a subset of the activities involved in supply chain management. Logistics includes the planning, implementation and control of the movement and storage of goods, services or related information. Logistics aims to create an effective and efficient flow and storage of goods, services and related information from a source to the target location where the product or source is to be shipped in order to meet the demands of a customer.
The movement of goods and services through a supply chain often involves the shipment of the goods and services between the source location at which the product is produced or stored and the target location where the product is to be shipped such as the wholesaler, vendor or retailer. The shipment of products involves a transport such as a truck, ship or airplane and involves the planning of the arrangement of the products to be shipped in the transport. The source location from which a set of products is shipped on a transport is selected based on the availability of the products at the source location.
The shipment of goods may involve complex constraints on the shipping of goods. Supply chain management systems are unable to simulate the loading of a transport while ensuring adherence to a complex set of constraints. Supply chain management systems are unable to maximize use of loaded transports.